1860
pastel
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Shepherd Returning with His Flock is a 1860 pastel by Jean François Millet, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a lone shepherd standing in a field, herding a flock of sheep. The background is a flat, hazy landscape with a few distant trees. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to draw the person’s coat and the sheep, making everything look simple but alive. The drawing feels quiet and real, like a moment frozen in time. The artist used pastel and crayon to create soft shadows and textures, especially in the sheep’s wool and the shepherd’s clothes. Want to see more? Check out pastel to learn how artists use this soft, creamy medium.
Jean-François Millet (French pronunciation: ; 4 October 1814 – 20 January 1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France.
See the richer artist page
